NOTES FROM THE ROAD

Graffiti Highway …

Exploring around Centralia…

25 February 2018: A quick visit to the Centralia area and Graffiti Highway, the old alignment of Route 61 that was abandoned and closed off in the 1990s. The town was evacuated in the 1960s because of the underground coal mine fire, which has burned for decades, and most of the structures were demolished, leaving just the skeleton of the town’s street grid in various states of decay…

New trails in Coal Country …

Inaugural run at Famous Reading Outdoors…

24 February 2018: Got to check out some new Jeep trails in Pennsylvania’s coal country which is becoming a real destination for recreational wheeling on the east coast. This 27,000 acre property at Famous Reading Outdoors has just recently been mapped and opened up to the larger Jeep community thanks to Kyle Buchter of Off Road Consulting who guided the inaugural run. Located in the same region as Rausch Creek and AOAA, the new property adds even more variety to the types of trails available in the area…

Long Island Wetlands …

Calm waters and a winter walk…

17 February 2018: Took advantage of a break in the winter weather to get out to the north shore and do some exploring on foot. The serene beauty of the area behind the beaches can really be appreciated in the “off” season …

Maps and Planning …

Looking at new maps and new horizons…

8 February 2018: Looking at possible routes for the next Sahara scouting, and starting to firm up plans. A few complications due to ever-changing security situation on the ground in some places, but hope to get something feasible in place soon…

New York Winter …

Freezing temperatures in NY…

1 February 2018: Back to New York after the desert and it seems even colder. Some extreme freezing temperatures out on Long Island this week make getting outside a bit of a “project” but did some scouting for an upcoming navigation training exercise despite the weather…

Heading out with the Offroad Consulting group to check out some brand new trails in an area of Pennsylvania’s coal country that will soon be opened up for recreational wheeling opportunities, expanding that area’s off-road offerings…

COMING UP SOON:
Headed back to Paris to connect with friends and favorite places and lay some groundwork for upcoming projects…

Focusing on the logistics and routes for the next Sahara segment…

Teaching navigational skills and talking about international overlanding at the second annual Wheelers Overland Adventure, May 17-20 at Anthracite Offroad Adventure Area (AOAA) in eastern Pennsylvania. The four-day overland camping and wheeling event is sponsored by Quadratec and Offroad Consulting, and brings together a diverse group of overlanders for trail runs, skills instruction, and networking opportunities in a festival atmosphere with onsite camping and optional activities the whole family can enjoy……

ABOUT CENTRALIACentralia is a near-ghost town in eastern Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region. Only a handful of residents remain in the area where an underground coal mine fire which has been burning since 1962. The town was evacuated and all property was condemned and claimed under eminent domain by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1992. The US Postal Service discontinued Centralia’s ZIP code in 2002. The fire started when burning trash in a former strip mine ignited a coal seam underground. In 1979, residents became aware of the scale of the problem when a gas-station owner inserted a dipstick into an underground tank to check the fuel level. When he withdrew it, it seemed hot, so he lowered a thermometer into the tank and was shocked to discover that the temperature of the gasoline was 172 °F. Statewide attention to the fire began to increase, culminating in 1981 when a 12-year-old boy fell into a sinkhole that suddenly opened beneath his feet in a backyard. The boy was rescued but the plume of hot steam billowing from the hole was found to contain a lethal level of carbon monoxide. Residents of Centralia were bitterly divided over the question of whether or not the fire posed a direct threat to the town. In 1983, the government allocated more than $42 million for relocation efforts and the majority of townspeople accepted the buyout. Most of the buildings were demolished by the Columbia County Redevelopment Authority or reclaimed by nature, and the today the town looks like a field with many paved streets running through it surrounded by new-growth forest. The fire continues to burn underground at depths of up to 300 feet over an 8-mile stretch of 3,700 acres and at its current rate, is estimated to keep burning for 250 years. Few homes remain standing in Centralia..

FAMOUS READING OUTDOORSFamous Reading Outdoors provides recreational access to approximately 20,000 acres of coal lands located in Schuylkill and Northumberland counties in Central Eastern Pennsylvania. Officially opened in August of 2017, Famous Reading Outdoors is developing a family-friendly motorized, non-motorized and hunting recreation facility just 130 miles from NYC, 95 miles from Philadelphia and 130 miles from Baltimore. The properties offer a variety of terrain types and challenge levels with hill climbs, mud pits, free range riding, single track and spectacular scenery…

Detailed series on a solo scouting journey into some of the remotest backcountry around Moab. The six day 450-mile off-pavement trip into the Maze district of the Canyonlands National Park offers insight into the challenges of expedition planning… [read]

Team USnomads is JoMarie Fecci (driver) and Isabelle Nikolic (navigator) driving a Jeep Wrangler across the Sahara. To find out more about Team USnomads and the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, please visit our website: USnomads.org and join us as we embark on the most amazing adventure.